The Twins
by Hanmyo
Summary: PREXiaolin Showdown! After a hard day of training, Raimundo's thoughts take him back to a time over five years before he came to the Xiaolin temple. [Oneshot! Completely Rai based!]


Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Xiaolin showdown-ness.

AN – Most of the ideas in this fic were kinda made up considering I didn't know all that much about Rai's past. Um… ya hope yall like this ;;;

**The Twins**

By Tippy

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Raimundo Pedrosa lounged peacefully in the soft grass outside the temple walls. The sun was high and warm against his face. The morning training had been long and hard, and now as he lay in the afternoon sun, he found himself become drowsy.

Without a thought, his hand lifted to the round, gold amulet that hung from his neck. His fingers traced over it and his mind began to drift. Images of his childhood came into view and he was unable to stop the unrelenting flow.

oOo

"Mama! Watch!" Two small voices rang out through the inner workings of a large circus tent. Inside, atop a high platform, stood a boy and girl, both barely 9 years old. Below, stood a woman, her slim form betraying no evidence that she had birthed a number of children. Along with the three figures, there was a fourth. A young man, another of the woman's children, hung upside down from a trapeze bar; his form swaying back and forth, ready to catch his siblings.

The woman smiled as the young boy grabbed another trapeze bar and swung out. She always loved watching her children play. In the circus, it was always a little more dangerous, but with her two youngest, every thought about their safety had been dealt with.

There was a shrill bout of giggles as the boy landed in the net, bouncing once before scrambling to the edge to see his mother.

"Did you see me?!" He asked, his wild brown hair falling into his face as he bent over the edge of the net.

"Yes, I did! You were marvelous, Raimundo!" She praised him, landing a kiss on his forehead before he flipped off the net, landing in front of her. "Now, let's watch your sister."

Raimundo nodded with a grin and turned to watch with his mother. The young girl waved down to the two observers before grabbing the bar and swinging towards her older brother. Letting go, she curled her small form into a ball, flipped once and extended back out to grab the awaiting hands. She had performed an exact copy of her brother's trick.

Below, Raimundo clapped enthusiastically as he watched his sister drop into the net and crawl over to him and their mother.

"Wonderful, Carlyna! You two are going to be the highlight of the show tomorrow!" The two children beamed at the praise, their eyes alight with excitement. Now standing side by side, the features of the twins were hard to miss. Bright green eyes, short brown hair and sweet faces; the "Twins" debut would be just what the Brazilian Circus needed.

oOo

A couple months had passed and the "Twins" were continuing to be a large crowd pleaser. Rai and Carly had improved their performance, bringing more difficult tricks to entertain the audience. They had wanted to try some of the even more challenging and dangerous tricks, but that idea had been snuffed out as soon as the two had mentioned it.

"Rai, mama said we couldn't!" Carly voiced as she and her brother stood in the large circus tent.

"I know! But we gotta get better, and this'll be so cool!" The youth reasoned, pulling off his white hoodie to reveal his red practice suit.

As much as she knew what they were doing was wrong, Carly couldn't help but want to try the new trick. After a moment's hesitation, she pulled off her blue t-shirt, revealing the same suit as her brother.

Rai had already started up the pole, leaving his sister to climb a rope to the other trapeze swing. They'd have to take turns since their brother wasn't around to do the catching.

"You ready?" Rai called out after Carly had made it to the bar and was now swinging upside down.

"Yeah, go ahead!" Her small hands reached out rady to catch her brother.

The brown haired boy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before jumping up and swinging towards his sister. He swung forward and back again, building momentum. As he reached the pinnacle of his swing and was about to release, a booming fright-filled voice cause him to falter. Eyes wide and heart pounding, the trick was ruined, leaving a flailing Rai to grab his sister's hands.

He looked up and caught his sister's guilt-filled face and knew this was going to be bad. Reluctantly, le let go of Carly's hands and landed in the safety net. Standing at the edge was his very red-faced brother, his fists clenching as he watched the boy crawl over, soon joined by his sister.

The twins stood, eyes downcast as their older sibling stood over them trying to find words. After a tense moment of silence, he turned, "Follow!"

Rai glanced over to Carly who returned the look. He could see the fear in her green eyes and knew she could see it in his. Without a word, the two complied, following after their brother.

The three stepped into their home; a small house situated just outside the circus fences. Inside, they found their mother and eldest sister preparing lunch. Their mother turned and took in the tree figures with surprise.

"You three are home early?" Her voice questioned. She then noticed the down cast expressions of her youngest children. "What happened?" She addressed the elder of the group.

"I caught these two messing around on the trapeze." The young man's answer was strained with anger.

Immediately, their mother's piercing gaze fell on the twins. "No one was watching them?" The question was addressed to her older boy, but her eyes remained on the youths.

"No, they were alone." Their mother nodded slowly and walked over to the entrance of a bedroom. Rai and Carly looked up as she silently motioned for them to go inside. Without any hesitation, they entered and their mother closed the door, leaving her eldest daughter and son standing in the main room.

"Wouldn't want to be them right now." The girl spoke.

"You and me bother… but I can't say I feel sorry for them."

Rai fiddled nervously as he sat on the bed next to Carly. Their mother had yet to say anything. Instead, she grabbed a chair and set it in front of the two siblings before taking a seat.

There was a moment where no one spoke, but when their mother did, the twins visibly flinched.

"Do you know why I am upset?" The children nodded. "Why?"

Carly's soft whisper answered, "'cause we were on the trapeze when we weren't supposed to be." Her small voice trailed off as if she were about to cry.

"Do you know why else?" The two thought for a moment, but shook their heads.

"Because something bad could have happened. One of you could have gotten hurt."

They seemed to think about this reason for a moment before speaking almost simultaneously, "I'm sorry, mama." Their tear filled eyes still cast at the floor.

"Okay, but you two need to promise me you won't do this again. Someone needs to be with you if you want to practice."

Rai and Carly didn't move, but they both felt the pangs of guilt; their mother didn't know they were trying one of the dangerous tricks. They stayed quiet and nodded as she again asked them to promise they wouldn't use the trapeze unsupervised.

"Good, now, for the rest of the week, you two are going to do all your chores and your brother's chores." She held up her hand as the two began to protest. "And, you're not allowed near the trapeze tent without someone with you. Do I make myself clear?" She gazed down at the two, having stood from the chair, her hands on her hips.

"Yes ma'am." They both answered in defeat. It was only Monday, so that meant a whole weeks worth of chores to do.

Having been released from the room, they had separated; Raimundo stepping outside, while Carly helped with lunch.

Rai sat quietly on a stone wall that attached to the side of their house, connecting to the Circus fence. The area had been made into a small garden to help the family when there was a food shortage. With so many brothers and sisters, it was hard for his family to meet the general needs. Their father had passed away a number of years earlier and it had almost destroyed the family.

His mind wandered back to the talk his mother had had with them. His sister's tear-filled voice echoed in his thoughts. He hadn't meant to get her in trouble. After all, it was his idea.

"Hey." Her simple greeting caught his attention and he turned to see Carly slowly making her way up to him, stepping over the vegetable plants as she went.

"Hey." He answered gloomily, his gaze shifting to his hands. She climbed up next to him on the wall and sat quietly for a moment, watching as the trees blew slightly in the autumn wind.

A few minutes passed before either of them spoke, "What are ya thinking about?"

Rai looked up at his sister's question, "Nothin'…" He knew there was no reason to try and hide anything from Carly; she could read his face better than anyone around, but that didn't keep him from trying.

"Is it about mama getting mad at us?" She guessed.

He didn't answer immediately, but when she let out a soft "hmm?" the words started falling from his lips. "Kinda…" He looked up to see the question in her eyes, "I'm sorry I got you in trouble… I shouldn't have made you do it."

"Don't be sorry. I wanted to try the trick too. It's my fault too, I coulda just left." She gave him a reassuring smile as he looked up again. Slowly, a small smile spread across his face and he let out a breath as the weight of the situation lifted from his shoulders. "Good!" She chimed, pleased with his reaction. "Lunch is ready so we should probably get inside before we get in trouble again."

Rai laughed and jumped off the stone wall, followed by Carly. However, his smile fell into a frown as they started walking back towards the house.

"What is it?" His sister asked, noticing the change.

"I just remembered we have to do all the chores for the rest of the week." This got Carly frowning as well and they both let out a groan before stepping into the house.

oOo

The early summer had brought rain to most of Brazil and today it poured over the small house situated next to the circus. A worried mother glanced out the window for what seemed the fifteenth time that hour. She pushed back the few gray hairs that had come in, all thanks to her two youngest children who couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. Today was no different. The twins had run off to play whatever games kids play, but they had failed to return home on time, and the pouring rain seemed to expand the woman's fears.

On the other side of the small neighborhood, two sopping wet children slowly walked through the streets.

"I can't believe I fell in the river." Rai stated in anticipated defeat as a drop of water slid down to the tip of his nose and fell to the muddy ground.

"I can't believe you pulled me in." Carly spoke, a hint of anger in her tone. They had spent much of the day apart, running through the market. Their birthday was coming up in a few days and neither had found a present for the other. They had met up at a small river that ran through the neighborhood and played for a short time. The rain hadn't started coming down yet, so there was no rush to get home.

Carly remembered her brother saying he still hadn't found the right present yet, but something in his voice told her he had. This made her worry. She had very little luck in finding the perfect present for Rai and she only had two days left.

Her crisis had left her mind however as the two played along the bank of the river; doing cartwheels and flips, trying to show one another up. Rai had been trying to do something when he lost his footing and fell into the river, inadvertently grabbing his sister as he went, dragging her in along with him.

Now, cold and wet, the two trudged up the street that would lead them to their home. Their mother was going to be pretty upset with them.

The evening went fast, the twins getting a long lecture before being given dinner and sent straight to bed.

The next day dawned, leaving Rai at home with his other brothers and sisters, while Carly and their mother went to the market. He had found that his family had let him sleep late that day and with good reason. He sniffled, trying to clear out his congested nose, but to no avail. The rain from the day before had brought a summer cold with it. Silently, he wondered if his sister had caught the same cold as him. No matter how much they sometimes hated being seen as the twins, one form together, they seemed to do everything the same, usually without meaning to.

Rai smiled for a moment, reaching under his mattress and pulling out a small box. He opened it and looked at the present he had picked for Carly. He knew it was perfect the moment he had seen it. All that was left was to wrap it and he could get one of his older brothers or sisters to help.

The rest of the day was quiet; the present wrapped and hid away. Rai had stayed on the couch, his congestion having brought on a headache. When his mother finally made it home with Carly behind her, he saw the tired, red nosed face he had been expecting. She sniffled and walked over to the sofa, climbing up by Rai's feet.

"Sick too, huh?" He asked, almost mockingly. She replied by sticking out her tongue, but drew it back before she let out a large sneeze.

"Looks like you two caught a cold out in that storm yesterday." Their mother came over, placing a hand on Rai's forehead and then on Carly's. "I'm going to get some more blankets and some pillows. Stay here."

The young girl curled up, her feet hitting her brother's. He kicked her back playfully which awarded him a harder kick and a small smile.

"So, did you find anything today?" He asked, a sly grin forming on his face.

"No." She may have been able to read his face, but he was just as good at reading hers, and at the moment he could tell she was lying.

"What did you get?" He prodded, ignoring her answer.

"Nothing!" Her retort was betrayed by a smile that gave away her lie.

"Whatever you say, little sister." He smiled triumphantly as he heard her scoff at the mentioning of 'little sister'. Although they were born on the same day and only minutes apart, Rai was born first, giving him the big brother status which he used as often as he could.

Their mother returned, placing pillows under their heads and wrapping them in warm blankets. She had a worried look on her face that she was failing to hide, but the two siblings paid no mind, accepting the attention.

The following day was the same. Rai and Carly were told to stay on the couch while the rest of the family went about with chores and the like. However, a sore stiffness had settled into their muscles along with a sore throat and cough which left them exhausted most of the day. Their mother's constant presence was welcomed, but with it came a sense that she was scared for her children.

"If you're not better tomorrow, we'll take you to the doctor, okay?" The twins nodded to their mother as she sat with them, their heads resting in her lap as she ran her fingers through their slightly damp hair.

"What about the party?" Rai whispered hoarsely, his mind wandering to the wrapped present that was tucked safely under his mattress.

"We can still have the party, but I don't think either of you should be up and running around, do you?" They shook their head, agreeing that they didn't feel much like running around at the moment. "Good, now get some rest. Supper's going to be ready in a little bit."

Dinner was a blur, the twins trying to take in as much of the soup as they could tolerate. Their stomachs seemed to be just as affected by the cold as the rest of their body. After the meal was through, they were ushered off to bed. An extra bed had been brought in for their mother, so she could be within reach if they needed anything.

As the twins lay on their beds, they found it hard to fall asleep. Napping all day probably had something to do with it.

"Mama's worried…" Carly whispered, turning over on her side to look across the room at her brother.

"Yeah… but we'll be okay… right?" The uncertainty in Rai's voice seemed to spark the same feeling in the young girl.

"I think so… if we don't get better by tomorrow, mama'll take us to the doctor and they'll make sure we're okay." This seemed to please both children as they fell silent again.

"So… what did you get me?" Rai couldn't help but ask, smiling.

"Rai, go to sleep." He could hear the amusement in her voice before she rolled onto her back. After a short while, the two were fast asleep.

A cry woke the older woman and she jolted up in the bed. She was in her youngest children's room. She gazed over the two beds to find what had woken here. Movement in Raimundo's bed caught her eye and she stood, walking over to him. He was thrashing slightly and she could hear the rasp in his breathing. She placed her hand on his small, shivering shoulder trying to wake him, her brown creasing as she felt the slightest bit of heat radiating below the blanket. This seemed to calm him down some but the harsh breathing remained. She then noticed more of the interrupted breathing and turned to see Carly was having the same problems. Reaching up, she placed her hand on her son's forehead and gasped in shock at the heat she felt. She did the same for her daughter and found her's to be just as warm.

Alarmed and fully awake, she stood and went to the door. She flicked the light switch to the room on before opening the door. She called out to her other children and turned her attention back to the twins. Quickly and carefully, she gathered Rai into her arms. Behind her, her eldest son stepped into the doorway, still wearing his pajamas. She handed him his brother who had yet to wake up through the movement.

Carly came next, bundled up in her blanket and still asleep. The rest of the family entered the main room, alarm filling their expressions as they took sight of their youngest siblings.

The doctor's home and office was only a few blocks down from their home, making the walk short, but to the family it seemed to take hours. They woke the doctor who quickly ushered them into the building, directing them to a room filled with hospital beds. A woman joined them, having woken at the doctor's request. As soon as they had gotten the children situated, she did her job of getting the rest of the family out of the room and settled so the doctor could work.

An hour passed before the doctor emerged from the room. The family turned, the mother coming to the front to hear what the man had to say.

"There's no need to worry Mrs. Pedrosa. It looks like they just have the flu. It's a serious case, but I believe it was caught in time. I've given them something that should help and their resting now."

"Can we go see them?" The woman asked, her eyes pleading.

"You may, but the others need to stay out here. You can take turns, but only one at a time, alright?" The doctor instructed.

The woman nodded, turned to her other children who gave her a smile, and went into the back room to be with her children.

"Happy Birthday, Carly." Rai's quiet voice spoke as their mother handed the girl a wrapped present. She had gotten one of her sons to run back to the house and get the presents.

Carly turned the box over in her hands before pulling the tape off the corners, unwrapping it and lifting off the lid. Inside was a round, gold amulet, a spiral traveling to the center. She turned her head and gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Rai. It's beautiful." Her mother helped her put it around her neck.

Carly's present for Rai was pulled out and handed to him. It was small and he unwrapped it easily. Dropping the paper, he held the two red wrist bands.

"Mama says they're good for the trapeze." She clarified and he smiled. They were a little big when he put them on, but he was sure they would give him the ability to do all kinds of tricks.

Their party was a short one, the doctor insisting that the children get some sleep. Their mother had been given a bed next to them, unable to leave her children. From what the doctor saw, the children would be fine after a few days rest.

However, as it grew deeper into the night, their mother was awoken by a bout of coughing and raspy breathing. Beside her, Carly lay quiet in a peaceful sleep. She stood and looked over to Rai's bed. The boy let out another harsh bout of coughs before collapsing into his pillow, his breathing uneven.

Panicked, she ran for the door, calling out to the nurse and doctor as she entered the lit hallway. After a moment, the man came around the corner, a confused but concerned expression on his face.

"There's something wrong. He can't breath." The last sentence came out shrill as she tried to speak through the tears that were cascading down her cheeks. The doctor pushed passed her and into the room. The boy remained in bed, his eyes shut and his chest heaving as he fought for air.

Behind him, the nurse entered followed by Mrs. Pedrosa. Calmly, he ordered a machine from the nurse and asked that the child's mother wait outside. Hesitantly, she left, the nurse leaving as well to get what the doctor needed.

Carly's hazy green eyes opened to the sound of people next to her. She turned her head slightly and saw the doctor and his nurse standing around her brother. She wasn't sure why they would be there, and where was her mother? She moved her gaze up to her brother's face and caught her breath. Her eyes were wide as she took in the site of the tube coming from her brothers mouth, a machine next to him with parts that moved up and down. What happened?! What was wrong with Rai?

She didn't move or speak, but she listened as the doctor spoke to his assistant.

"This doesn't look good. He's got an advanced case of pneumonia… I don't think he'll make it through the night."

Disbelief and shock raged through her mind as she took in the words of the doctor. Did that mean her brother would die?! He couldn't die! The doctor was supposed to make them better! She could feel the hot tears trailing down from the corners of her eyes.

Clutching at the gold amulet, Carly closed her tear-filled eyes and prayed. She didn't know to whom or if it would make a difference, but the words kept coming. _Take me instead! Don't let my brother die! Take me, please!_ Tears continued to fall down her face as she continued to pray, and eventually, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

After speaking with the doctor, their mother was allowed back in the room where she spent the rest of the night crying over her child.

Morning came and dread filled the woman's heart as she lifted her gaze to the face of her small son. To her surprise, the tubes had been removed and she could see his chest rise and fall with normal breathing. She stood silent for a moment, taking in what all this meant and a relieved smile spread across her face as tears of joy slid over her cheeks.

She turned to check on her other child and froze as she looked down. The bed was empty. The sheets were folded neatly and a new pillow lay where her daughter's head should have been. Taken aback by this, she stepped out of the room to find the doctor. She found him talking to the nurse outside the hospital room. He looked tired.

"Excuse me?" She spoke softly. The doctor turned to her, his expression blank as he moved towards her. "Is my son going to be alright?"

He nodded, "He came out of it early this morning."

She nodded in understanding, "and my daughter, where is she?"

The man was silent for a while, longer than she wanted him to be, and she could feel her chest tightening with every second that he refused to speak.

"I'm sorry." His voice was low and apologetic. "She had stopped breathing sometime last night. There was nothing we could do…"

oOo

The days that passed were dark ones, filled with tears and void of laughter. Raimundo stood next to his mother as they lowered his sister's casket into the grave, his small hand clinging tightly to the gold amulet that hung around his neck.

oOo

A tear slid from the corner of Raimundo's eye as he looked up at the clouds that floated passed. The memories of those days had brought more to the surface than he had intended.

"_What are you thinking about?"_ His sister's voice floated through his mind.

"_Nothin'…"_ He responded back in thought.

"_You know, you're a bad liar."_ She teased.

"_Yeah… I know."_

The end…

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So how'd yall like it! Want more? x.x Im really happy with this fanfic, it made me cry ;-; Anyway let me know what yall think!! Thanks for reading!

much luv!


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